Roger Goodell won’t attend the Patriots-Steelers 2015 league season opener
The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers kick off the NFL season next Thursday at Gillette Stadium.
Commissioner Roger Goodell won’t be there.
League spokesman Brian McCarthy told Boston.com that the commissioner will instead attend a Sunday game, but will watch the game and banner-raising in Foxborough on TV.
It will be the first time Goodel hasn’t attended the Thursday night opener since he was appointed commissioner in 2006.
“He believes that the focus should be on the game on the field and the festivities celebrating the Patriots’ Super Bowl championship,’’ McCarthy said, who also noted Goodell “does not have a function there that requires him to attend.’’
(For what it’s worth, former league commissioner Paul Tagliabue also missed a couple Thursday night openers himself.)
The decision not to attend came regardless of the result of the appeal of Tom Brady’s Deflategate suspension, according to McCarthy, which was overturned Thursday by a federal judge.
The NFL is in turn appealing the judge’s ruling, but will not seek a stay to keep Brady from playing.
“The commissioner’s responsibility to secure the competitive fairness of our game is a paramount principle, and the league and our 32 clubs will continue to pursue a path to that end,’’ Goodell said in a statement.
“While the legal phase of this process continues, we look forward to focusing on football and the opening of the regular season,’’ he added.
On that, at least, both the commissioner and Patriots fans can agree.
The team is expected to raise their 2014 Super Bowl banner before the 8:30 p.m. kickoff Thursday.
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Timeline of the Deflategate controversy
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